Exploring the world, 30 days at a time.

May 22, 2013May 22, 2013

Macae Beach, Brazil

The morning after arriving in Macae I had to go downtown for a medical physical. No one is permitted offshore on the oil rigs without first having gone through a thorough exam. This takes all day. On a lunch break my buddy and I had a chance to roam the streets. About 10 minutes of walking brought us to this nice bit of scenery. The beach was very clean and well kept.

Across the street from the beach were a number of nice looking business-class hotels.

After all the poking and prodding was finished at the clinic, we went back to the condo provided for us on the southern side of the city. Here is a view of the street out front.

After dropping our stuff off and getting all the EKG goo and rubber glove stench off, we took a taxi to the beach nearer to where we were staying. I already posted a few beach shots from that night but tonight I came across one more that I really liked. The sparkles from the light are a result of the lens I was using. Because it was so dark out I had to rest the camera on a bench and use a 6 second shutter time to get enough light. Fortunately for me, the man at the coconut stand held perfectly still the whole time so the only things that blurred were the palm trees. I actually like the way the trees turned out! It adds even more sparkle and energy to this scene.

That’s all I have of Brazil for now. I’ll be getting more photos soon. Once I complete the training I’m currently attending this week, I’ll be off to Vitoria, Brazil to get ready for flying out to a rig. I was told it’s a 6 hour bus ride from Macae to Vitoria. I hope this next one has cleaner windows with less tint. 🙂

Technical Details:

All shots were made using a Nikon D600 w/ Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens. The last shot – the coconut man – was a 6 second shot at ISO 100. The full size file is perfectly clean. I’m super impressed with the D600’s low light ability. Tonight I was looking at an ISO 6400 shot I made of my wife before I left for Brazil. I was shocked when I checked the file’s EXIF data and saw that ISO was so high and yet how clean it still looked. I shot it as a black and white. I find the little bit of grain that resulted from amping up the sensor to be pleasing and not at all a bad thing. It has a very analog feel to it – if that makes sense.

Sorry Hun. Not trying to turn your photo into a geeky conversation. LOL. Sigh… you’re so darn beautiful! I’m so glad you said yes to me.

7 thoughts on “Macae Beach, Brazil”

I love your descriptions and such beautiful photos, but that last one about your wife was absolutely the best! I found her blog yesterday and really enjoyed getting to know her through her entries. You all are truly blessed and I am so thrilled to have met you and hear about your wonderful family!

Brandon told me all about that physical and the lack of English while there. Hope you’re enjoying the food and those bus rides. 😉

I love all of them, but I think the coconut man is my favorite. Something about that photo– the cart, the man, the lights, all the colors. It really appeals to me. You have such a special gift when it comes to capturing a scene, and that’s such a blessing to all of us!

Those are all great shots! I loved the one of the night in Brazil, with the lights resembling nocturnal suns! It’s incredible! …. And my beautiful friend Jen, she looks gorgeous no matter what the settings of the camera are! 😉

The pics are wonderful. I too love the coconut man, the sharpeness of the photo…amazing. I might have to beg you to come to SC to take pics of us….anything for a visit right? Enjoy your time there….we are praying for you!!